Please note that we have moved to
http://wwww.digitalphotographycourses.co.za
2011-08-12
2010-05-04
Farewell to the old... Welcome to the New!!!
Good afternoon fellow photographers! I am glad to anounce that I am indeed finished with our new website, Digital Photography Courses! You may visit it at http://digitalphotographycourses.co.za
Still a few minor cosmetics to be done, but I will continue to tweak it until we establish it as one of the top premier photography sites in the world!
But for now, it is just fine and allow me to say, that I feel really, really proud. Not only does it look professional, but browsing is so simple and quick! I would love to get your comments. Please go on and subscribe to our Blog and Articles. Click HERE to go to the subscription page. (Please check your email inbox for a confirmation link. Also check your junk email folder in case the subscribtion link have been spammed incorrectly.)
I promise that you will get quality posts and updates, which will certainly help you to improve your own photography!
I say cheers with the following HDR photo I took during a morning fieldtrip with some students to Kloofzicht Lodge, near Muldersdrift. The shot was taken out of hand, converted in Photomatix via Details Enhancer and then tweaked in Photoshop and Lightroom i.e. temperature enhanced, slight tonal contrast enhanced etc.
Still a few minor cosmetics to be done, but I will continue to tweak it until we establish it as one of the top premier photography sites in the world!
But for now, it is just fine and allow me to say, that I feel really, really proud. Not only does it look professional, but browsing is so simple and quick! I would love to get your comments. Please go on and subscribe to our Blog and Articles. Click HERE to go to the subscription page. (Please check your email inbox for a confirmation link. Also check your junk email folder in case the subscribtion link have been spammed incorrectly.)
I promise that you will get quality posts and updates, which will certainly help you to improve your own photography!
I say cheers with the following HDR photo I took during a morning fieldtrip with some students to Kloofzicht Lodge, near Muldersdrift. The shot was taken out of hand, converted in Photomatix via Details Enhancer and then tweaked in Photoshop and Lightroom i.e. temperature enhanced, slight tonal contrast enhanced etc.
hdr image © danie bester
2010-03-03
We will be moving...
All of you probably thought; What's going on with this Photography Blog? I haven't posted for some time now... To be honest I have never been as busy in my life and I could barely breath between the photography assignments and the courses; working on average between 13-17 hours a day. For this reason, my wife Jenna has joined our full time staff. She will be doing the admin to give me time to do what I enjoy most; photography and teaching. My long time dream (took us 10 years) of having a family business has become a reality. We have been blessed by the Almighty God.
Deon who is lecturing full time on photography at one of the tertiary institutions, a truly knowledgeable photographer will be assisting me on a part time basis. We also streamlined some of the current courses and workshops. Our Studio Workshops will now take place more often and we will be introducing a separate workshop on Strobism. We're also working on new workshops i.e. "Visual Language". Then there is also the "Photoshop Workshops for Photographers", which unfortunately, will have to wait for the second part of 2010.
The real good news is that we have registered a new domain namely www.digitalphotographycourses.co.za which will be online within the next month or so. This time around, I left the design of the new site over to the pros and hopefully the design and content wil be really refreshing. We will also be deploying a new blog at http://digitalphotographycourses.co.za/blog/. Actually, it's already online, but in the design process now and I need to fill it with content. The new blog will continue to share information about photography; whereas this blog will be used exclusively for posting client images. This was neccesary and makes better business sense in ensuring better performance in terms of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). In other words we're starting our onlsaught to get first page and a top position on the popular search engines. I will inform you as soon as the new blog is ready and attempt to transfer your current subscribtions. Our target is to have 5,000 subscribers by the end of this year and I can really do with all of our readers help to promote the new Blog.
I close off with a few images I took during the past month on my visits to Kriel... I am conducting a photography course there, and boy, are the people eager to know more...
The images are all HDR and this time I used Nik's Colour Effex Fuji's Velvia 100 filter to simulate the colour of the Velvia film. Maybe too colourful? A penny for your thoughts?
Deon who is lecturing full time on photography at one of the tertiary institutions, a truly knowledgeable photographer will be assisting me on a part time basis. We also streamlined some of the current courses and workshops. Our Studio Workshops will now take place more often and we will be introducing a separate workshop on Strobism. We're also working on new workshops i.e. "Visual Language". Then there is also the "Photoshop Workshops for Photographers", which unfortunately, will have to wait for the second part of 2010.
The real good news is that we have registered a new domain namely www.digitalphotographycourses.co.za which will be online within the next month or so. This time around, I left the design of the new site over to the pros and hopefully the design and content wil be really refreshing. We will also be deploying a new blog at http://digitalphotographycourses.co.za/blog/. Actually, it's already online, but in the design process now and I need to fill it with content. The new blog will continue to share information about photography; whereas this blog will be used exclusively for posting client images. This was neccesary and makes better business sense in ensuring better performance in terms of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). In other words we're starting our onlsaught to get first page and a top position on the popular search engines. I will inform you as soon as the new blog is ready and attempt to transfer your current subscribtions. Our target is to have 5,000 subscribers by the end of this year and I can really do with all of our readers help to promote the new Blog.
I close off with a few images I took during the past month on my visits to Kriel... I am conducting a photography course there, and boy, are the people eager to know more...
The images are all HDR and this time I used Nik's Colour Effex Fuji's Velvia 100 filter to simulate the colour of the Velvia film. Maybe too colourful? A penny for your thoughts?
See you on the new Blog!
Danie..
2009-12-31
Stay original
I came across this blog post by Kirk Tuck, "The flickr-ization-of-photography". You can read Kirk's post by clicking HERE. Kirk tackles the issue of conforming to trends; it seems like every single photographer out there are trying to imitate and mimic trendy techniques. Especially some of the strobist devotees whose work is all over online societies such as Flickr!
Now don't get me wrong, I am personally a huge fan of strobism and are currently reading Joe Mcnally's new book "The Hotshoe Diaries, Big Lights from Small Flashes". The book's really good by the way. I too, bought into the greatness of shooting on location with a few small flashes. I have nothing againts Flickr and joined the community recently. However, Kirk's blog made me realize how utterly important it is not to fall into the trap of conforming to standards that's dictated by particular photographic groups or societies. Do something because you like it, not because others are doing it. Do something you think is unique (even though there's really nothing new under the sun).
My quest for 2010 is to be as creative and original as I can be. If it means I must shoot with small lights; it's fine. If it means I must shoot with big 30,000 watt / sec lights, also fine. Just Fine! As long as I am original and keep on developing my own style and techniques.
I'm finishing my post with yet another (few) photo(s) I took of Minnette which was taken for Jenna's (my wife) make-up portfolio. No; these were not taken outside with small flashes; even though I did use a single 580 EX II in an array with other bigger studio flashes and light shapers i.e. a medium sized Octo box, a shoot-through umbrella and a smallish grid and barndoors. I ramped the speedlite against a large refelector for extra fill light.
Model, Minnette Bester. Images by Danie Bester. Make-up by Jenna. Hair styling by Minnette.
All shots were taken at full Manual settings. I used a double diffused octobox with a grid for most of the shots as my key-light. I played around with the background light (shoot-through umbrella) and used a small dish with grid and barndoors as a kicker and hair light. At one stage I removed the background light completely (to have a grey background) and had the grid and barndoors directly behind her to create backlighting. I believe that every photographer should have two backgrounds; a black one and a white one (no racism here). The great thing about a white background is that you turn it into a grey background if you soften the background light or remove it completely.
PS. I didn't do much in Photoshop. maybe softened the skin slightly, dodging and burning. The light did the trick on these shots.
Now don't get me wrong, I am personally a huge fan of strobism and are currently reading Joe Mcnally's new book "The Hotshoe Diaries, Big Lights from Small Flashes". The book's really good by the way. I too, bought into the greatness of shooting on location with a few small flashes. I have nothing againts Flickr and joined the community recently. However, Kirk's blog made me realize how utterly important it is not to fall into the trap of conforming to standards that's dictated by particular photographic groups or societies. Do something because you like it, not because others are doing it. Do something you think is unique (even though there's really nothing new under the sun).
My quest for 2010 is to be as creative and original as I can be. If it means I must shoot with small lights; it's fine. If it means I must shoot with big 30,000 watt / sec lights, also fine. Just Fine! As long as I am original and keep on developing my own style and techniques.
I'm finishing my post with yet another (few) photo(s) I took of Minnette which was taken for Jenna's (my wife) make-up portfolio. No; these were not taken outside with small flashes; even though I did use a single 580 EX II in an array with other bigger studio flashes and light shapers i.e. a medium sized Octo box, a shoot-through umbrella and a smallish grid and barndoors. I ramped the speedlite against a large refelector for extra fill light.
Model, Minnette Bester. Images by Danie Bester. Make-up by Jenna. Hair styling by Minnette.
All shots were taken at full Manual settings. I used a double diffused octobox with a grid for most of the shots as my key-light. I played around with the background light (shoot-through umbrella) and used a small dish with grid and barndoors as a kicker and hair light. At one stage I removed the background light completely (to have a grey background) and had the grid and barndoors directly behind her to create backlighting. I believe that every photographer should have two backgrounds; a black one and a white one (no racism here). The great thing about a white background is that you turn it into a grey background if you soften the background light or remove it completely.
PS. I didn't do much in Photoshop. maybe softened the skin slightly, dodging and burning. The light did the trick on these shots.
2009-12-15
Top International Wedding Photographers
Like to know who are the best wedding photographers out there?
I've also created a new blog page which lists the world's best wedding photographers; including our own top South African wedding photographer, Jean Pierre Uys. You may access the link from my sidebar, or just click HERE to access it.
I've also created a new blog page which lists the world's best wedding photographers; including our own top South African wedding photographer, Jean Pierre Uys. You may access the link from my sidebar, or just click HERE to access it.
2009-12-12
Top International Fashion & Beauty Photographers.
Check out my list of some of the world's top Fashion and Beauty Photographers. You may access it from HERE, or simply follow the link on the sidebar.
Image by Danie Bester. www.daniebester.co.za
Course schedules for 2010
I have worked out the new photography schedules for the first 6 months of 2010 and boy do I have a busy program or what!
After so many requests, I also scheduled a few one (1) day workshops in terms of basic flash and studio lighting as well as Photoshop for Photographers. For those that's inetrested in doing one of my basic photography courses or just a one day workshop; here's the dates. Check my website or email me should you have any questions:
After so many requests, I also scheduled a few one (1) day workshops in terms of basic flash and studio lighting as well as Photoshop for Photographers. For those that's inetrested in doing one of my basic photography courses or just a one day workshop; here's the dates. Check my website or email me should you have any questions:
Basic Photography Courses (9 sessions, part-time courses)
· Centurion (Starting 20 January 2010)
· West Rand (Starting 2 February 2010)
· Kriel (Starting 4 February 2010)
· East Rand / Boksburg (Starting 3 March 2010)
· Randburg / Sandton (Starting 18 March 2010)
· Johannesburg-South /Alberton (Starting 30 March 2010)
· Potchefstroom (Starting 5 May 2010)
One (1) Day Workshops
· Basic Lighting & Studio Photography (20 March 2010)
· Basic Lighting & Studio Photography (19 June 2010)
· Photoshop for Photographers (3 July 2010)
2009-12-09
Your world in... Colour or Black & White (cont...)
Keeping my previous two posts in mind which was about "Aperture" and "How you prefer to see the world..." I thought it would be great if I can converge on both topics by sharing the following two portraits with you...
This following portrait of my daughter is the result of inspiration I got from a portrait I've seen of the Italian actress, Christiana Capatondi. The portrait was taken by top photographer, Douglas Kirkland and you can read about him and view his portrait by clicking HERE. What I liked most about Douglas' image was the crispness and beautiful black and white tones. Then there is also the sharp focus on the eye and shallow depth-of-field, which I think is the greatest elements of portraiture.
Even though my compsition may not be as elegant as his, I think or rather hope, that I partly obtained similar crisp tones. My shot was taken by setting the widest aperture on my lens, which at f/1.4 left only the focus point sharp, and everything else soft and out of focus. (Remember the smaller the F/ number; the larger the aperture, and the shallower the field of focus or depth-of-field)
In taking the image, I dialed in minus (-) 2/3rds of a stop using my camera's exposure dial. A solo speedlite was positioned on a stand directly in front of her and triggered with my (very inconsistent) Pocket Wizards. I therefore used the Speedlite to literally "kick" my subject from the background. In other words, the camera was set to underexpose the scene slightly while the speedlite was used to "lighten up" the key subject. That easy!
This second image, obviously a colour image, was taken in our garden. I also used a single speedlite from a stand and angled it towards her face and slightly more to the away side of the camera (her right side). To concentrate the light even more, I manually zoomed the flash head to 105mm. Slightly tilting the flash head to soften the light. However, a hard nose shadow was indeed edged on the camera's side, but I was able to blend it in by using the patch tool in Photoshop.
Penny for your thoughts
I personally like the black & white image. Not neccesarily beause it is black and white, but simply because it is so overwhelmingly authentic and if you are able to look at it in full resolution you can't help to stare at it for minutes at a time. The colour image may be more sophisticated in terms of technical aspect, but to me the authenticity of her expression, the simplicity, crisp tones and shallow depth of field makes me prefer the black & white.
Now, it's time to hear from you...
This following portrait of my daughter is the result of inspiration I got from a portrait I've seen of the Italian actress, Christiana Capatondi. The portrait was taken by top photographer, Douglas Kirkland and you can read about him and view his portrait by clicking HERE. What I liked most about Douglas' image was the crispness and beautiful black and white tones. Then there is also the sharp focus on the eye and shallow depth-of-field, which I think is the greatest elements of portraiture.
Even though my compsition may not be as elegant as his, I think or rather hope, that I partly obtained similar crisp tones. My shot was taken by setting the widest aperture on my lens, which at f/1.4 left only the focus point sharp, and everything else soft and out of focus. (Remember the smaller the F/ number; the larger the aperture, and the shallower the field of focus or depth-of-field)
In taking the image, I dialed in minus (-) 2/3rds of a stop using my camera's exposure dial. A solo speedlite was positioned on a stand directly in front of her and triggered with my (very inconsistent) Pocket Wizards. I therefore used the Speedlite to literally "kick" my subject from the background. In other words, the camera was set to underexpose the scene slightly while the speedlite was used to "lighten up" the key subject. That easy!
"Minnette"
ISO 100, 1/2500 sec at f/1.4. Minus 0.7 exposure compensation, aperture priority, multipattern metering. Canon 7D, Sigma 50mm EX lens. In post editing, I did not do a lot apart from using Nik Silver Effex to do the black & white conversion by first using a green filter and then the standard filter.
This second image, obviously a colour image, was taken in our garden. I also used a single speedlite from a stand and angled it towards her face and slightly more to the away side of the camera (her right side). To concentrate the light even more, I manually zoomed the flash head to 105mm. Slightly tilting the flash head to soften the light. However, a hard nose shadow was indeed edged on the camera's side, but I was able to blend it in by using the patch tool in Photoshop.
To take the shot; I set the exposure in Manual mode and gradually stepped down the shutter speed until I got a good balance between her and the the sky. At 1/5000th of a second, the shutter speed was fast enough to render the sky and background with sufficient colour and detail, but it was too fast to expose the model. This would have resulted in her being underexposed. Therefore the Speedlite. Throwing a concentrated beam of light at her "kicked" her out from the dark claws of underexposure. Simple strobism.
"Minnette 2"
ISO 100 1/5000sec @ f/1.8. Manual mode, Multi-pattern metering. Canon 7D, Sigma 50mm EX lens. In post editing, I softened a hard edged nose shadow by using the patch tool. Slightly enhanced the contrast by using levels and Nik color effex' tonal contrast and masking some details back.
Penny for your thoughts
I personally like the black & white image. Not neccesarily beause it is black and white, but simply because it is so overwhelmingly authentic and if you are able to look at it in full resolution you can't help to stare at it for minutes at a time. The colour image may be more sophisticated in terms of technical aspect, but to me the authenticity of her expression, the simplicity, crisp tones and shallow depth of field makes me prefer the black & white.
Now, it's time to hear from you...
2009-11-27
Your world in... Colour or Black & White?
Over the past few weeks I have been focusing on basic, technical stuff like aperture, ISO speed; and I will continue with the basic technicalities into the new year. In the meantime; I thought it would be great to throw in a few more creative angles before we go on with the series.
On Sunday afternoon I went with a group of students to Sandton for our night photography fieldtrip. I was enthralled by the low light photo opportinuties the buildings yielded. So much so, that I went back there the following day to see if I could improve on the previous day's shots.
Today, I will be sharing a couple of very plain and simple compositions that was taken on Sunday afternoon, but unlike my other posts, I will not elaborate on any particular techniques, but rather leave you with a question.
The question is: "How do you prefer to see the world; in Colour or Black & White".
Click on any of the images to view it full screen:
Black and white images are all about contrast and tones. This image was "enhanced" in Photoshop, and using the Nik Silver Effex plugin. To me, this image is far more powerful than the colour version.
Looking forward to hear your opionions. Have your comments posted at the bottom of this post and tell us why you prefer the one over the other?
.
On Sunday afternoon I went with a group of students to Sandton for our night photography fieldtrip. I was enthralled by the low light photo opportinuties the buildings yielded. So much so, that I went back there the following day to see if I could improve on the previous day's shots.
Today, I will be sharing a couple of very plain and simple compositions that was taken on Sunday afternoon, but unlike my other posts, I will not elaborate on any particular techniques, but rather leave you with a question.
The question is: "How do you prefer to see the world; in Colour or Black & White".
Click on any of the images to view it full screen:
I prefer the colour between these. What's your take?
.
2009-11-26
Aperture Explained
Now, we have come to the next important element of exposure, namely “aperture”. Aperture is the fancy word for lens opening and is measured in F Stops.
It works as follows: the smaller the F number; the larger the lens opening (i.e. F/2.8). On the other hand, the higher the F number; the smaller the lens opening (i.e. F/22). So if your lens has a maximum aperture of F/2.8; that will be the setting you will use to allow the most light to flow into the camera through the lens. If your lens has a minimum aperture of F/22; that will be the setting you will use to allow the minimum light to enter the camera.
It may not make sense now, but if you look at the following visual illustrations you will get a better idea of how aperture works:
- The lens I have used for this excersise is a 50mm f/1.4, which means that the largest aperture available on this particular lens is f/1.4. The image above shows a massive lens opening at f/1.4 that allows ample light through. Since the lens allows so much light rhrough it means that you can shoot with decent shutter speeds even in bad or deterioating light.
If you carefully study the above images you will find that with each change in F stop to the next F stop; the light entering the camera is halved. Example, F/2 will allow twice the amount of light to enter the camera than with F/2.8, which is the next F stop in the chain. F/2.8 on the other hand, will allow twice the amount of light to enter the camera than with F/4. F/4 will allow twice the amount of light to flow into the camera than with F/5.6 etc...
The diagram below shows the standard F-stops, ranging from F/2 up to F/90:
F1 | F1.4 | F2 | F2.8 | F4 | F5.6 | F8 | F11 | F16 | F22 | F32 | F45 | F64 | F90 | |
Lens opening | Very large to large | Medium | Small to very small | |||||||||||
Best suitable for | Low light shots and portraits where you want to render a single element in sharp focus and the fore and background out of focus. | For General shooting. Ideal for Group shots | Suitable for landscape shots where you would want all elements in the image in focus. | |||||||||||
Take note that the whole range of F stops are not necessarily available on all cameras i.e. a lens may offer a maximum F stop of F/4 to a minimum F stop of F/22. Most cameras also have the capability to increase F stops in 1/3rds, i.e. F/4 – F/4.5 – F/5 to the next full stop, which is F5.6.
Our next lesson will cover the relationship between aperture and depth of field.
.
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